Retrospective Divinity II : Ego Draconis

Divinity II had a fiery launch on Xbox 360, but in its final form it was an overlooked classic

- Robert Zak

There’s a point early in Divinity II that casts a light on the philosophy behind this series; a series that manages to be strange and idiosyncratic while remaining faithful to the most traditional tenets of RPGs.

It happens when you run into the starry-robed wizard Zandalor, a recurring character who tells you, “At least we know now what kind of tale we would like this to be. Succeed and it shall be an epic, fail and it shall be a tragedy”.

Whether it’s through such meta dialogue or the GM-like voiceover narrator who jumps in to embellish certain sequences, the Divinity series likes to frame your adventures in literary terms, creating a sense that you’re playing a tabletop D&D game by candlelight or reading a worn leathery tome about the kooky world of Rivellon. Its immersion calls to an old-school RPG style that seemed all but lost in 2009, when Divinity II was first released.

A cheery mix of self-awareness, in-jokes and rigorous narrative continuity helped sustain the Divinity series from its 2002 debut all the way up to 2014’s breakthrough hit Divinity: Original Sin, when Kickstarter helped developer Larian realise its vision without the suffocating pressures of publishers. In the words of Larian founder Swen Vincke, Divinity II was the moment when the studio finally accepted that “We just can’t work with publishers. It just doesn’t work”.

Looking back, Divinity II: Ego Draconis feels every bit the crossroads game for Larian Studios, its ambitions and simmering brilliance stifled by technical issues and extensive cuts.